| Towards the end of the week, Brian headed into Lexington to run some errands. Besides ordering feed for the stock he needed to replenish his own cupboards as well. The jeep was laden down with a half dozen bags of groceries when he stopped in at The Saddlery to pick up a couple of new bridles. As he worked his way to the back of the shop he found three harnesses and a saddle on the floor and Moire Fitzgerald sprawled in the midst of them. �Are you hurt?� Brian reached down and offered his hand. Moire looked up at her rescuer, his blue eyes smiling at her. �I�m fine. It was like a domino effect. I went to take one and they all came flying off the shelf.� She stood up and they both picked up the harnesses and began putting them back on the hooks and Brian replaced the saddle on the shelf. �Thank you.� As he went to hang up the last harness Moire grabbed it. �I�ll take that one.� Brian handed it to her. �Thank you again.� �No problem,� he mumbled as he watched her make her purchase and leave. His eyes never left her and as Moire got to the door she turned and saw him watching her. She could feel her face flush as he smiled at her and then she was gone. �Mighty pretty that one is,� old Mr. Johnson commented when he noticed Brian�s total captivation. �That she is, that she is,� he replied absently putting the two bridles on the counter never taking his eyes from the shop entrance. She may be gone but her face was etched in Brian�s mind. �I remember her mother,� Johnson said as he followed Brian�s gaze to the door, �and damn if some days when Moire walks in I swear my eyes are playing tricks on me.� �Well she looks nothing like Fitzgerald that�s for sure.� Brian snapped back to reality with his comment. She was his enemy�s daughter and best to leave whatever romantic notions he might have alone. It would be impossible. He handed Johnson his credit card to complete the transaction and once done he took the bridles and left. There was no sign of her on the street and Brian got in the jeep and drove home. But he couldn�t seem to forget her face. Moire Fitzgerald traveled in a different circle than he did. She was educated in the finest schools and had spent some time abroad as well. Brian remembered reading that her mother had died when she was twelve and that Fitzgerald had hired a governess and spared no expense in giving his daughter everything she could ever imagine. Besides the fact that they were on opposite sides of this current squabble, she was a bit out of his league. But there was no doubt that she definitely got his pulse racing and he could only wonder what she would feel like in his arms. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Moire sped out of town and picked up speed as she merged onto the open road. Her heart was beating so hard she could feel it thumping in her chest. Of all the people to find her like that on the floor it had to be him. The fact that she spoke coherently still surprised her. It had been nearly a week since her father proposed his idea to her and Moire had done nothing about it. And then to meet him today like that, it was just too coincidental. Moire loved her father more than anything, but this war he was raging against the small owners angered her. He knew how she felt yet he still expected her help. She had no idea what she could find out for him. The Littrell�s had always been a quiet family. They were active in the civic and church community but Moire didn�t know much else about them. Brian�s brother had entered the seminary and now lived in Frankfort pastoring a small country church. His mom had moved there a few years ago thus leaving Brian alone in the big farmhouse. And what of Brian, he was single, drop dead gorgeous and Moire had a feeling in for a long nasty fight with her father over a small piece of earth. But Moire had to admit that even though his farm was small it rested in one of the prettiest sections of the county. As she turned into the entrance of their property all you could see was acre upon acre of rolling grass. She had been to all the big cities and traveled through Europe but there was nothing like riding through the hills here and breathing in the clean smell of the grass. She loved it here. It was in her blood. This was where she planned on spending the rest of her life. She pulled the car up in front of the house and popped the trunk taking out the harness and heading for the stable. During the following week ironically Moire and Brian bumped into each other at various places in town. On each occasion nothing more than a brief hello was exchanged but neither one could shake the encounters easily. And then one day Moire happened to overhear a conversation that presented an uncomfortable predicament for her. �When will I know if the loan has been approved,� Brian stood in front of the loan officer. �I should know in a couple of days,� the woman said. �You�ll get a call.� �You don�t think there will be any problems, do you?� �None that I can see. You�ve been making all your payments on time,� she said as she closed the file. �I don�t think there is anything to worry about.� Brian shook her hand and turned to leave when he saw Moire standing at the counter. The sundress showed off her tan as well as her shapely legs. Moire had froze when she heard his voice. In light of what she overheard, she felt her cheeks warm. As Brian came towards here, she kept her eyes hooded. �Ms. Fitzgerald,� his voice, firm and noncommittal washed over her. Yet, a hint of his accent could still be detected. Moire nodded her acknowledgment and Brian kept on walking. As she went to the teller�s cage the loan officer brought the paper work into the Bank Manager. Moire could vaguely here their conversation. �Mr. Littrell�s loan application,� she handed the papers over. �It�s routine.� The Bank Manager nodded and opened the file. Moire�s hands began to sweat. She knew that her father would want to know about this. She didn�t know what to do it. It was by sheer accident that she overheard and besides she had always liked Brian and his family. No one had to know. And plus she had never agreed to spy for her father. She took care of her transaction and left pushing Brian and the whole conversation out of her mind. But two days later it all reared its ugly head. Moire had just finished a workout with Giselle and was brushing her down when her father called for her over the intercom. His voice was tense and Moire handed the brush to one of the stable hands to finish the rub down. When she entered his office she could see he was angry. The muscles across his back were taut and he was pacing his office. �So when were you going to tell me?� The question caught her off guard as he lashed out at her. �Tell you what?� �Littrell, the bank, the loan, does any of this ring a bell?� Moire gulped and took a breath. How did he know? �How did you�� He snapped at her. �I have my ways.� He came around the desk and Moire instinctively backed away and hit her knees against the sofa causing her to fall onto the cushion. �We agreed you were to find out what you could about him.� �No daddy. I never agreed. I won�t, I can�t.� Colin pulled up a chair across from her and took her hands. �We�re family princess. You are all I have. We need to support each other.� Her look told him that she wanted to believe him, but was wary. �I�m not going to hurt him, not physically any way. But I want that land.� She shook her head. He had no right to coerce her like this. She was his daughter! �If he�s in financial trouble, this could be an opportunity. I could help him.� Moire removed her hands from his. She wasn�t a little girl any more. She knew what he was like. She had seen how he operated on and off the track. His money, his size and his name pulled a lot of weight with the racing community but he could be such a bully sometimes. And this just proved it. �Help? How? By taking away his livelihood? How would that help him? His family has been raising horses as long as we have daddy. His grandfather and mine started together. They were friends and still were even after grandfather had expanded to what we have today. He always respected Mr. Littrell and the smaller farmers knowing that he had been there himself. Why can�t you daddy?� �This is business princess. You just don�t understand.� �Oh I understand alright.� She stood up and went to the door. �You don�t need the land daddy. Everyone shares the water rights to the creek. We always have. And if you buy him out, what will he do?� �He�d had enough money to start new somewhere else.� He went to come towards her but she opened the door. She laughed at him. �You don�t get it daddy. Raising horses is in his blood. He loves it. This is his life unlike you where it�s just a business.� She walked out and closed the door behind her. The tears that were threatening to fall she held at bay until she got to the house. She went up to her room and closed the door. What was it going to take to make him see that she wasn�t one of his hired hands he could push around? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Their relationship was strained over the next few days. Moire was civil, but she shied away from her father�s touch. He couldn�t treat her like this and she was bound and determined that if he wanted information on Brian he would have to find another way. But ironically she found herself contemplating a visit to the Littrell farm herself as the Independence Day holiday approached. Every year all the proceeds from the races at Keeneland on July 4th went to charity. It was an opportunity for all the local owners to enter some of their second and third string contenders and also fill the coffers of the many charities in the Lexington area. Moire had agreed to chair the event for this year and in doing so it was her job to solicit as many entries as possible. When she noticed that Brian hadn�t entered she found it odd. The Littrell farm had always been represented in these races and she didn�t want to see them miss a year. So summoning up some courage she headed out route 75 to get a commitment for this year. The heat was unbearable and Brian pulled the shirt over his head and wiped the sweat off his chest. He threw the damp shirt over the rail and continued to spread the clean straw in the stall. There hadn�t been any more incidents involving Fitzgerald or his men, but Brian was still cautious. He was no fool to think he had backed off. And he also knew that somehow Fitzgerald knew his every move. So he was constantly checking the animals and the buildings for anything that looked out of the ordinary. His loan had been approved and after the July 4th holiday the security system would be installed. He moved to the last stall and continued to work at a quick pace filling the floor with the sweet straw. He wiped his brow as the sweat continued to roll off his face and decided the heat was too intolerable and it just might be a good afternoon to head off to the lake. Satisfied that the stalls were clean again he hung the pitch fork on the hook and grabbed his shirt and headed towards the house stopping at the well to take a long drink from the barrel and pouring the rest over this head. As he reached the house a car came down the drive, leaving a trail of dust behind. When it came to a stop he was surprised to find Moire Fitzgerald looking cool and crisp in her summer cotton. |